“Top Obama campaign adviser Robert Gibbs said on Meet the Press Sunday that the ‘biggest idea’ of Obama’s reelection campaign would be a message of continuing ‘moving in the right direction of fixing this economy.'”

“The Democratic Rural Conference is holding its annual meeting in Corning. DRC board member Jane Dodds says it’s an important chance for officials from small communities to interact with party leaders, and also a good opportunity for those running for office.”

“The fate of the Stafford loan rate now hinges on whether the two deeply divided factions can come up with about $6 billion to cover a one-year extension. Senate Democrats want to offset the cost by closing a tax loophole for high-income owners of privately owned corporations. Both proposals appear dead on arrival in the opposite chamber. If the two sides can’t come to a deal, some 7 million students face a doubling of interest rates from 3.4 to 6.8 percent in July.”

“I want to bring up three issues about food stamps. First, it is such an extraordinary investment. For every dollar that you put into the SNAP program, you get out $1.79, that is a statistic from the USDA. Second, there is so little fraud in food stamps, it’s less than one percent. A dollar, one cent for every dollar. This is not a place where people are taking advantage, this is a place where families needs these resources. And third, as a mother, our children need food to grow. It is the most simple, elemental thing that a family must provide for their children. They need food to grow, they need food to learn. They need food to reach their God-given potential. So I urge my colleagues who are looking for places where we need to tighten our belts, please do not ask that of hungry children. it is the one place where we should not be tightening a belt. These are children who need this food.”